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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

Is the No Annual Fee Chase Freedom Unlimited Worth It? The Answer Is OBVIOUS – I Use Mine Almost Every Day

May 12, 2019
by
Joseph Hostetler Joseph Hostetler

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Joseph HostetlerMillion Mile Secrets Team

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Here’s our full Advertising Policy.

INSIDER SECRET: The Chase Freedom Unlimited is THE best card to use for any spending that doesn’t fall into a bonus category on your other cards.

While you might overlook this card because it doesn’t come with a sign-up bonus, that would be a grave mistake. This card deserves a place in your free travel strategy. I’ve had it for years, and I use it almost every single day.

Is the no-annual-feeChase Freedom Unlimited worth it? Take three minutes and read this post to see why the answer is HECK YES.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited has no annual fee – so it’s definitely worth it. You can use the points you earn for a trip to France.

The No Annual Fee Chase Freedom Unlimited Is Worth It

It’s true, the Chase Freedom Unlimited doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus that awards you a bunch of bonus points after you meet a minimum spending level — but it does come with a welcome offer.

You’ll receive 3% cash back (3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on all purchases for the first year, up to $20,000 spent; then 1.5% cash back (1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on all additional purchases. So, for example, if you were to spend $20,000 on the card in the first year, you’d earn up to $600 cash back (or 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points).

I opened this card SOLELY because of its earning rate. The ability to receive 1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on all purchases is a big deal to me.

Here’s Why the Chase Freedom Unlimited Is a Keeper

1.5 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 may not sound like a lot. After all, other cards earn much more than that:

Important Notes

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is subject to the Chase “5/24 rule.” Chase will not approve you for most of their cards if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (not counting Chase business cards and other business cards) in the past 24 months.

Another important point is that if you have only the Chase Freedom Unlimited, the points you earn are only worth 1 cent each towards cash back or travel. But if you have any of the below Chase Ultimate Rewards point earning credit cards, you can get lots more value:

I’m personally transferring the points I’ve earned with my Chase Freedom Unlimited to Hyatt for a stay at the Hyatt Zilara all-inclusive resort in Cancun next month. (I’ll let you know how it is.)

There’s no cheaper vacation than using points at an all-inclusive resort.

The Hyatt Zilara Cancun costs $425 a night for a double occupancy room, but just 25,000 Hyatt points. By opening the Chase Freedom Unlimited, spending $16,667 in the first year, and transferring those earned points to Hyatt, you’d have enough to spend a weekend at this 5-star all-inclusive resort while saving $850. That’s like getting a return of 5 cents per $1 on your spending ($850 savings / $16,667 in spending)!

17.24% - 25.99% Variable

$0

Yes

Rates & Fees

Other

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

1comment

Are you going to point out the one big down side. There is a foreign transaction fee!! And, I think the article fails to clarify that this is a cash back card. It DOES NOT earn Ultimate Reward Points UNLESS you hold one of the 3 true Ultimate Reward Cards, the 2 Chase Sapphire Preferred cards and the Chase Sapphire Reserve. In which case you can transfer the “points” earned on the Unlimited card in the article to true Ultimate Rewards and utilize the travel portal as well. You are not doing your readers a benefit by reporting only the positives. You need a fair and impartial review pointing out the pros and cons.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)